HUS Chapter 65: Mountain Lord Passes Through
HUS Chapter 65: Mountain Lord Passes Through
January 4
Today, Feng'an Fortress's Yang Manor finally had the atmosphere of home.
That evening, Chef Zhu rallied his spirits and prepared a table full of sumptuous food and wine.
The new kitchen maids had just arrived and hadn't officially taken their positions yet, so he also made the communal meal.
Today he generously added quite a bit of meat, full of oil and fat.
Of course, Little Master Jingyao's dishes were prepared separately.
The dishes were vegetarian, the oil was vegetable oil, and even the pot, Chef Zhu had scrubbed several times separately.
Chef Zhu believed in Buddhism. Ever since witnessing this Little Master's demeanor, Chef Zhu felt that this Little Master must be a Bodhisattva reincarnated and couldn't be neglected.
Yang Can ate and drank in the small hall with Qingmei, Accountant Li, Leopard Head, Kang Zhengyang, and others.
These people were now his core team.
"Mister Li, tomorrow draft a 'summons notice.' This Estate Head will convene the estate heads and pasture heads of the five estates and three pastures to come to Feng'an Estate for an audience on the Dragon Boat Festival in May."
Yang Can paused, then said, "It's a holiday, so everyone should gather.
Additionally, have them each prepare two documents to bring.
One 'self-accusation statement,' self-examining the faults of their estates and pastures, recovering embezzled funds, and turning over hidden fields and hidden households.
One 'report statement,' listing the affairs of their estates and pastures and forecasting this autumn's harvest.
Whether past offenses will be pardoned or crimes compounded, let them decide for themselves."
Li Damu understood completely and hurriedly agreed.
During this time, Yang Can also went out to formally meet all the household servants.
When the banquet was half over, Xiao Qingmei took her leave. She didn't drink alcohol.
After this "grand opening" celebration banquet ended, Yang Can saw everyone off and then walked toward the rear residence.
The place for entertaining guests was in the front residence. After all, most were male guests, and even though the rear residence was empty, it wasn't appropriate to enter.
Yang Can slowed his pace and walked quietly in the rear residence.
This would be his home from now on, so the feeling was especially different.
Every plant and tree, every tile and pillar, looking at them gave him a sense of intimacy.
Suddenly, a figure flashed through the flowers and trees ahead. Yang Can saw it and immediately became alert.
He immediately gave chase.
He saw that figure turning this way and that, finally stopping in a small pavilion beside a pond.
Zhang Yunyi had built this rear residence like a Jiangnan garden, with numerous gates and courtyards, extremely easy to get lost in.
This was precisely what made Yang Can suspicious.
He had thoroughly walked through this place with Zhang Yunyi that day and only remembered about seventy or eighty percent of it but why did the figure ahead seem extremely familiar with this place?
A thought quietly surfaced in Yang Can's mind: Zhang Yunyi isn't willing to give up and sent someone to infiltrate and harm me?
Yang Can didn't realize that no matter how complex the buildings here were, they couldn't escape those few types of wealthy family architectural layouts.
Therefore, as long as someone was familiar with the corresponding architectural layout, even if it was their first time here, they wouldn't get lost in it.
Seeing that person stop in the small pavilion, Yang Can immediately ducked behind some flowers and trees, lightened his footsteps, and quietly approached.
At the same time, an iron token was already gripped between his fingers.
Closer, even closer. Continuing to approach would make it easy to be discovered.
Yang Can stopped and looked carefully. He couldn't help but look completely astonished.
The person in the small pavilion was actually Little Master Jingyao.
What was Master Jingyao, who appeared so solemn and dignified during the day, doing?
Once he saw clearly what she held in her hands, Yang Can couldn't help but be speechless.
Collapsed!
Little Master Jingyao's sacred and inviolable image in his mind had collapsed.
Little Master Jingyao was eating, her hands holding a pig's knuckle, gnawing until her mouth was covered in grease.
The corners of Yang Can's lips couldn't help but twitch violently.
This was just a little nun who didn't observe the monastic rules!
Or rather... was she not a nun at all?
Dugu Jingyao held the tender, fragrant pig's knuckle and ate with such satisfaction.
This Chef Zhu's skills were really good, not inferior to the chefs in my household.
Fragrant! It was truly too fragrant!
Heaven have mercy, since fleeing, how long had this young lady gone without tasting meat?
At that time, she fled in haste without bringing enough silver and didn't have the means to eat well.
Later she was kidnapped and sold to a human trafficker.
Fortunately, she was clever and had the inspiration to disguise herself as an ordained person and it really worked. Most Longshang families believed in Buddhism.
Even those who weren't so devout were people with status and wouldn't spend money to buy a taboo.
When this girl played the role of a deity or saint, she seemed especially refined and indeed could fool people.
Therefore, she was fortunate enough to hold on until today before being sold by Shopkeeper Qian as "money-losing goods."
This Estate Head Yang didn't want to keep her, which actually made her feel very reassured.
Originally she was currently fleeing and had nowhere to go.
If this Estate Head Yang had ill intentions toward her, she really would have to leave but since Yang Can had no intention of keeping her, she was reassured and didn't want to leave.
She would just hide here temporarily, eating and drinking at his expense, temporarily taking shelter.
Today, Feng'an Fortress's Estate Head held a grand banquet. Even the newly purchased slaves and servants had a piece of meat in their bowls, fatty and lean mixed, tender and delicious yet she, whose image as a great virtuous monk was built too successfully, had Chef Zhu preparing her meals with extra care.
There truly wasn't even a trace of meat, not even a drop of animal fat.
In the past, she would have endured it.
After all, it wasn't just that she wanted to eat but couldn't. Other slaves couldn't eat it either but tonight everyone had meat to eat except her alone. This was simply unbearable.
Dugu Jingyao stole a pig's knuckle when no one was watching and ran to this quiet place to enjoy it.
The breeze stirred, tree shadows swayed, and Yang Can quietly disappeared from where he stood.
He didn't jump out to expose this Master Jingyao's false mask.
He now only knew that this woman was very likely not an ordained person, but... who was she exactly?
Was she truly a female slave sold in, or an infiltrated spy?
Jumping out to directly question her obviously wouldn't yield the truth.
Yang Can didn't think about secretly observing and patiently waiting for her to reveal her fox tail...
His method was simple and direct, which was... send her away as soon as possible!
Continuing forward, Yang Can's footsteps gradually grew heavy.
It had been three years since crossing over to this era. Three years of silence!
After three years, crisis brought opportunity and found him together.
He was now the Second Steward of the Yu family's eldest branch's main lineage and the Estate Head of Feng'an Estate,
The master of these several thousand people, the king of a hundred li radius.
Anyone would inevitably have a bit of a feeling of success and fame.
During tonight's banquet, he even felt that although there were still potential crises that hadn't erupted, the current situation was quite good.
He was even somewhat enjoying it. However, this discovery just now made that heartstring that had begun to relax these past days suddenly tighten again.
If this female nun came prepared, then someone must want to do something against me. I must... be especially careful!
Alas, this life of mine is truly like walking on thin ice!
...
"Master, Mountain Lord's new batch of 'mountain goods' will arrive in three more days."
"Hehe, good, excellent. Yang Can's calamity has arrived!"
In Zhang Xiaomi's residence, this pair of master and servant, Zhang Yunyi and Wan Tai, were secretly plotting.
Zhang Yunyi knew that Yang Can was using him as a tool, but he cooperated without complaint or regret, with full effort.
He stood at the forefront of everything. The new king and the old king working together with one heart, if they wanted to implement anything at Feng'an Estate, it was naturally as easy as turning over one's hand.
As for the other estates watching the situation, seeing Zhang Yunyi tamed so obediently by Yang Can, they also didn't know what methods Yang Can had used.
The less they knew, the more complex their thoughts became, and the less courage they had to make moves.
In this way, Yang Can taking down one Feng'an Estate had the effect of "subduing the enemy without fighting" on the other five major estates.
Zhang Yunyi was also clear about this but he still fully cooperated with Yang Can.
Only because his "trump card" was an outside move.
He pinned his hopes on borrowing "Mountain Lord's" hand to kill Yang Can.
At that time, to stabilize the current excellent situation, he, Zhang Yunyi, would still be Feng'an Estate Head.
"Come, let's go inside to talk."
As Zhang Yunyi spoke, he indicated for Wan Tai to follow him into the study.
Zhang Xiaomi's residence was a three-courtyard compound.
Longshang had vast land, so this three-courtyard residence was built extremely spacious and grand.
If it were placed in Jiangnan where every inch of land was precious, it would have to be exquisitely carved within limited space.
So Jiangnan gardens were full of flowers, with scenery at every step.
While Longshang estates emphasized spaciousness but no matter how spacious, it was still just a three-courtyard residence.
The entire Zhang family had now moved in here, and it still inevitably seemed somewhat cramped.
"What did 'Mountain Lord's' people say?"
After entering the study and sitting down, Zhang Yunyi immediately asked.
Butler Wan said, "'Mountain Lord's' people said that this batch of goods is especially important compared to the past, so they hope you, Master, will send people to cooperate with them in escorting the last leg of the journey."
"Didn't you tell them that Feng'an Estate is no longer under this old man's control?"
"This servant naturally said so, but... this servant didn't make it sound so serious. After all..."
Zhang Yunyi understood. If he described himself as completely worthless, he would have no utility value to Mountain Lord.
In the future, he would lose Mountain Lord's business connection and his greatest source of wealth wasn't even those hidden fields and hidden households, but "running mountain goods."
If the Mountain Lord connection was cut off, even if he became Feng'an Estate Head again, his strength would probably be greatly reduced.
Zhang Yunyi thought for a moment and said, "So they think this old man can still help somewhat?"
Wan Tai said, "They only think this is the Clan Head just receiving the six major estates and temporarily sending a steward to concurrently serve as Estate Head to take inventory of the received properties."
Zhang Yunyi laughed ruefully, "Good, this misunderstanding is rather wonderful!"
Wan Tai said, "Master, how should we cooperate with Mountain Lord? Actually, as long as Yang Can doesn't discover anything and the 'mountain goods' pass through smoothly, that's enough."
Zhang Yunyi thought for a moment and lowered his voice, "Tell them not to pass through Feng'an Estate anymore. The situation is currently unstable. We'll plan a route for them that bypasses Feng'an Estate."
"Yes!"
"Wait, you still haven't understood this old man's meaning."
"Please explain, Master."
"When the time comes, you must make Yang Can's people 'accidentally' discover their existence."
"What?"
"Not only that, you must also make both sides come to blows..."
Wan Tai was first shocked, then suddenly understood, "Master means we'll borrow Mountain Lord's blade..."
Zhang Yunyi smiled in a heart-chilling way, "Go, arrange it properly. Don't leave any traces."
Watching Wan Tai leave, Zhang Yunyi picked up his tea, still wearing that heart-chilling smile.
Ever since personally watching his uncle, son, and nephews be stoned to pulp by rocks he personally selected, Zhang Yunyi had achieved "great enlightenment."
He suddenly felt that everything he had striven for and protected all his life was meaningless.
He hadn't become a walking corpse but had devolved into a wild beast.
He now only lived for himself.
Who exactly this Mountain Lord was, even he didn't know but what he did know was that this Mountain Lord's power was unfathomable.
If Yang Can muddled along and offended such a great personage, then at that time...
"Knock knock knock!"
Someone knocked on the study door.
Zhang Yunyi frowned. So late, who would come?
He thought it was Wan Tai returning and called out, "Come in."
"Grandfather!"
The person who entered curtsied, and looking in the lamplight, her face was charming and her figure alluring. It was precisely Young Master Zhang's legitimate wife, Chen Wan.
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